Pristine books --- read 'em or slab 'em?

[greg]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

[whetteon]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

That pretty much sums up my feelings too.

Don't let the purist comic collectors tell you otherwise because I often found they usually have nothing worth protecting in the first place.

[Daniel Jackson]

Amen to that.

[400yrs]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

Yup!

Who in their right mind would open up a 9.4 Tec 27 and read it? Not exactly the same (of course) but still, you get the point.

[Will]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

Doesn't comic "book" imply material for reading?

Otherwise, you just have comic "hide them in plastic and keep them in the dark where it's cool so they'll last for a hundred years but I'll never see them things."

[400yrs]

Doesn't comic "book" imply material for reading?

Otherwise, you just have comic "hide them in plastic and keep them in the dark where it's cool so they'll last for a hundred years but I'll never see them things."

Yep. At least that was the thinking up until the last SEVERAL decades. Some issues, in addition to being considered reading material, are also viewed as collectibles/investments - Hence comics selling for more than their cover price - sometimes hundreds or thousands of dollars. I'm not saying X-O 68 is a good investment. Personally, I'd like to put together a 9.8 set of last issues starting with EW 50. The last issues are very hard to find in nice shape, so it's just something I'd like to do.

[Redtrax]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

Doesn't comic "book" imply material for reading?

Otherwise, you just have comic "hide them in plastic and keep them in the dark where it's cool so they'll last for a hundred years but I'll never see them things."

I think it actually doesn't matter what you do with it, if you want to collect pristine comics, go ahead, if you only want to read them, why not? You can even use them as tp, this probably happened considering there was Marvel tp.
However, if you use it for tp, please don't (re)sell it for somehting else

[GGSAE]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

Doesn't comic "book" imply material for reading?

Otherwise, you just have comic "hide them in plastic and keep them in the dark where it's cool so they'll last for a hundred years but I'll never see them things."

I think it actually doesn't matter what you do with it, if you want to collect pristine comics, go ahead, if you only want to read them, why not? You can even use them as tp, this probably happened considering there was Marvel tp.
However, if you use it for tp, please don't (re)sell it for somehting else

That reminds me of the cribs showcase of john leguzamo (sp?). He plastered his bathroom walls with classic comics all cut and pasted that used to be in good condition, lol.

[whetteon]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

Doesn't comic "book" imply material for reading?

Otherwise, you just have comic "hide them in plastic and keep them in the dark where it's cool so they'll last for a hundred years but I'll never see them things."

I think it actually doesn't matter what you do with it, if you want to collect pristine comics, go ahead, if you only want to read them, why not? You can even use them as tp, this probably happened considering there was Marvel tp.
However, if you use it for tp, please don't (re)sell it for somehting else

That reminds me of the cribs showcase of john leguzamo (sp?). He plastered his bathroom walls with classic comics all cut and pasted that used to be in good condition, lol.

Sigh, might as well take a picasso or a leonardo and plaster that on his wall too. Dumb *SQUEE*.

[greg]

As with most discussions of "collectible conditions", comic books are
one of the last to formalize the concept of "preservation".

Coins: Should someone spend a $20 gold piece on a pack of gum? Why not?

Cars: Should someone put a few thousand commuter miles on a '68 Shelby? Why not?

Spending coins and driving cars are as logical as reading comics.
However, there are exceptions to "intent" for rare items or extreme conditions.

Original intent becomes of nearly zero importance at the extremes of condition.
On the low end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that is completely falling apart,
or has pages missing, or has been scribbled in by someone.
On the high end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that has somehow remained
in pristine condition despite the fact that most other copies in existence
are of lower grade.

[tcolli]

As with most discussions of "collectible conditions", comic books are
one of the last to formalize the concept of "preservation".

Coins: Should someone spend a $20 gold piece on a pack of gum? Why not?

Cars: Should someone put a few thousand commuter miles on a '68 Shelby? Why not?

Spending coins and driving cars are as logical as reading comics.
However, there are exceptions to "intent" for rare items or extreme conditions.

Original intent becomes of nearly zero importance at the extremes of condition.
On the low end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that is completely falling apart,
or has pages missing, or has been scribbled in by someone.
On the high end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that has somehow remained
in pristine condition despite the fact that most other copies in existence
are of lower grade.

All of the car buffs I know drive their cars in the summer. It isn't great distances but they do drive them. I keep my comics in great (IMO) protection but don't seal them in a slab never to be read again. But then again, I don't agree with CGC. Should museums hide classic paintings and historical artifacts never to be seen by anyone because they are protecting them? Should antique furniture never be used and kept in a safe? There is a difference between safely using the item as it was intended and sealing it away for value.

[greg]

Should museums hide classic paintings and historical artifacts never to be seen by anyone because they are protecting them? Should antique furniture never be used and kept in a safe? There is a difference between safely using the item as it was intended and sealing it away for value.

I see your point... however, in the case of comic books,
there's (almost) always an affordable reader copy out there.
Should exceptional copies be sealed away forever?
Why not? There are others available to be read.

I guess what I'm saying is... I don't own a single CGC graded book
that is my ONLY copy of the book. I had "reader copies" first.
CGC graded (top condition) books are the "permanent" version
of my reading copy collection.

[Will]

As with most discussions of "collectible conditions", comic books are
one of the last to formalize the concept of "preservation".

Coins: Should someone spend a $20 gold piece on a pack of gum? Why not?

Cars: Should someone put a few thousand commuter miles on a '68 Shelby? Why not?

Spending coins and driving cars are as logical as reading comics.
However, there are exceptions to "intent" for rare items or extreme conditions.

Original intent becomes of nearly zero importance at the extremes of condition.
On the low end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that is completely falling apart,
or has pages missing, or has been scribbled in by someone.
On the high end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that has somehow remained
in pristine condition despite the fact that most other copies in existence
are of lower grade.

All of the car buffs I know drive their cars in the summer. It isn't great distances but they do drive them. I keep my comics in great (IMO) protection but don't seal them in a slab never to be read again. But then again, I don't agree with CGC. Should museums hide classic paintings and historical artifacts never to be seen by anyone because they are protecting them? Should antique furniture never be used and kept in a safe? There is a difference between safely using the item as it was intended and sealing it away for value.

Great point.

[tcolli]

Should museums hide classic paintings and historical artifacts never to be seen by anyone because they are protecting them? Should antique furniture never be used and kept in a safe? There is a difference between safely using the item as it was intended and sealing it away for value.

I see your point... however, in the case of comic books,
there's (almost) always an affordable reader copy out there.
Should exceptional copies be sealed away forever?
Why not? There are others available to be read.

I guess what I'm saying is... I don't own a single CGC graded book
that is my ONLY copy of the book. I had "reader copies" first.
CGC graded (top condition) books are the "permanent" version
of my reading copy collection.

I guess I am not disagreeing with your intent or your method, I just don't really like CGC (or other grading companies) or the method they use to protect and grade a comic.

Do you by two copies of any newer books to be graded and another to read (if you buy new books)? It may get confusing which books to slab and which to not. Also, when does a book get valuable enough to grade? I mean would you have a Turok 1 graded even though there are literally hundreds of thousands that could be the same grade or better? Just my own curiosity.

[400yrs]

I guess I am not disagreeing with your intent or your method, I just don't really like CGC (or other grading companies) or the method they use to protect and grade a comic.

Do you by two copies of any newer books to be graded and another to read (if you buy new books)? It may get confusing which books to slab and which to not. Also, when does a book get valuable enough to grade? I mean would you have a Turok 1 graded even though there are literally hundreds of thousands that could be the same grade or better? Just my own curiosity.

It sounds like you just aren't that familiar with the CGC market. Once you understand it and if it serves your purpose, I think you'll like the concept. You slab books that already have value and that are in excellent shape for that particular issue. So, no you would not slab a Turok 1 (unless you enjoy blowing money).

Valiant-wise, generally the only books worth slabbing are pre-unities if you are fairly certain you can get a 9.6 or 9.8. There has been argument lately that even 9.6s aren't worth it dollar-wise (excluding a few like Harby 1, of course). There are some golds (A&A 0, EW 0 flat, etc) and Unity red that are worth slabbing due to the fact that they are very hard to get in high grade. There are few if any of those in 9.8 shape and the likelihood that there will be a lot of them in the market at any point in time is slim. Other golds like X-O 0, Ninjak 1 or the other chromiums may or may not make sense to slab depending on your view. I believe that many of these exist in 9.8 shape. Looking at the CGC census will support this claim. Therefore, having those books raw in 9.8 is good enough for me.

Modern books coming off the shelf are often slabbed 9.8 by dealers and sold for a few bucks over the cost of grading and the comic itself. I think we see less of this now than we did a few years ago and will see even less of it over time. People started to realize that CGC really is intended for older books and slabbing newer books often doesn't make sense.

The independent graders provide a mainly neutral opinion of the book that is being exchanged between the buyer and seller. I've never been disappointed buying a mid-grade or high grade silver or bronze comic that was graded by CGC through ebay. On the other hand, non-slabbed books more often than not come in worse condition than described by the seller. Although Greg has made a valid case for this in the past, if I want a reader silver or bronze book, I'll buy an unslabbed copy which will usually (sometimes) cost less than a slabbed copy of the book because I plan on taking it out of the slab anyways. However, for my collectible books, I don't plan on touching them, so why not have them protected and graded by a third party?

[whetteon]

As with most discussions of "collectible conditions", comic books are
one of the last to formalize the concept of "preservation".

Coins: Should someone spend a $20 gold piece on a pack of gum? Why not?

Cars: Should someone put a few thousand commuter miles on a '68 Shelby? Why not?

Spending coins and driving cars are as logical as reading comics.
However, there are exceptions to "intent" for rare items or extreme conditions.

Original intent becomes of nearly zero importance at the extremes of condition.
On the low end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that is completely falling apart,
or has pages missing, or has been scribbled in by someone.
On the high end, it's hard to justify reading a comic that has somehow remained
in pristine condition despite the fact that most other copies in existence
are of lower grade.

All of the car buffs I know drive their cars in the summer. It isn't great distances but they do drive them. I keep my comics in great (IMO) protection but don't seal them in a slab never to be read again. But then again, I don't agree with CGC. Should museums hide classic paintings and historical artifacts never to be seen by anyone because they are protecting them? Should antique furniture never be used and kept in a safe? There is a difference between safely using the item as it was intended and sealing it away for value.

First it depends on the buyer. Would I keep an Amazing Fantasy #15 cgc'ed? You bet ya. I already know the story, there are hundreds of reprints for me to buy and I'd like to be sure it's safe from harm. Can I do this with a plastic bag and board? Absolutely. But I also like the 3rd party condition grade and the restoration check.

Cars are driven around because they are mechanical. If you stop driving them they tend to develope problems on their own. Not comics books.

Painting are shown to people but they expect no one to TOUCH! Cgc is the same thing, look all you want but don't TOUCH.

The difference was it WAS intended to be read but now it's contents are known that HG books should be PRESERVED so future generations can view it on a wall and oogle like us. The end.

[slym2none]

I'm of the mindset that "nearly perfect condition comics" SHOULDN'T be read at all.

There's not a comic on the planet that can't be found in lesser condition
worthy of reading, bending, folding, pocketing, and reading again.

Protect the best, read the rest.

I agree, to a point - unless you're selling a HG book, don't waste the money it takes to have CGC/PGX/ACE/whathaveyou "slab" the book. Invest in some MC paper, acid-buffered boards, and Mylar. THAT, to me, is "protected."

Otherwise,



-slym

[Chuck]

A while back before CGC there was a slab (comic protector) call the FORTRESS.

This thing was like..... a fortress (you could drop it, submerge it in water); it was design to archive/keep your comics safe. Any of you guys heard of it?

[Peter Parker]

Not this again

guys still with that silly "comics are for reading" mantra

Thanks Cpt. Obvious ...we've all been there and done that, must I re-read them for perpetuity? ...No, now I want HG examples in MY collection, and CGC books are the ONLY confidence I have in doing so

[depluto]

A while back before CGC there was a slab (comic protector) call the FORTRESS.

This thing was like..... a fortress (you could drop it, submerge it in water); it was design to archive/keep your comics safe. Any of you guys heard of it?

Back in school I had a girlfriend who kept her *SQUEE* in one of those.

[Peter Parker]

A while back before CGC there was a slab (comic protector) call the FORTRESS.

This thing was like..... a fortress (you could drop it, submerge it in water); it was design to archive/keep your comics safe. Any of you guys heard of it?

Back in school I had a girlfriend who kept her *SKREE* in one of those.

Hmmmmmmmmmm ...lots of "humidity" I would assume, huh Plute???

[Chuck]

A while back before CGC there was a slab (comic protector) call the FORTRESS.

This thing was like..... a fortress (you could drop it, submerge it in water); it was design to archive/keep your comics safe. Any of you guys heard of it?

Back in school I had a girlfriend who kept her *SKREE* in one of those.

[myron]

A while back before CGC there was a slab (comic protector) call the FORTRESS.

This thing was like..... a fortress (you could drop it, submerge it in water); it was design to archive/keep your comics safe. Any of you guys heard of it?

Back in school I had a girlfriend who kept her *SKREE* in one of those.

she wasn't your girlfriend for long was she...

[tcolli]

I can see buying CGC books in Golden Age and rarer Silver Age, but not modern or bronze. I don't know, maybe it is just the unwillingness to buy two copies of the same book just to feel secure to myself that one is worth something. Maybe it is the rebel in my not believing in one company (it is a company out to make money) should be the "say all" on grading. I can almost see wanting to preserve it in the slab but the grading is almost like "if you can't learn how to grade it yourself, pay someone to do". I don't know if CGC would have made it if not for the Internet commerce of comic books because your right that most don't know *SQUEE* about grading and oversell there books based on a overhyped grade.

[400yrs]

I don't know if CGC would have made it if not for the Internet commerce of comic books because your right that most don't know *SKREE* about grading and oversell there books based on a overhyped grade.

That's the reason I like CGC. If I can go to a store or a con and see a book in person, I can grade it and assign a value to it myself. I've rarely bought slabbed books in person. It's the crappy internet sellers that make CGC so viable.